It is well known to dispense a conditioning product during a cycle of treatment by means of a spherical recipient containing a dose of this product and placed freely in the treatment enclosure with the articles to be treated.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,014,105 for example describes a spherical recipient of which the upper half-shell defines dispensing orifices and comprises a closable hole for filling. This recipient is adapted to receive a liquid softening and/or antistatic agent for treating washing in an automatic tumbler drier.
European Patent Application No. 0 152 359 discloses a spherical recipient presenting vents for progressively releasing the liquid within the laundry in the course of washing. The liquid is a detergent agent and it is poured into the recipient before use via a well immersed inside this recipient. The free end of the well may be open or closed by a wall, in that case presenting lateral holes, the inner cavity of said recipient being filled through the end opening or the lateral holes of this well.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,888,391 discloses a spherical recipient containing a liquid or granular softening agent and adapted to dispense it in the tub of a washing machine during the rinsing phase. The recipient comprises a plunger tube for filling and dispensing, of which the open free end located inside cooperates with a ballasted valve. The latter is made of elastic material and, when it is pulled by the user by means of a supple fastener through the plunger tube, it locks elastically on its seat, thus closing the opening of the free end of the tube. During the washing phase of the cycle, the spherical recipient remains closed and, during the intermediate spinning phase, the valve opens automatically under the action of the centrifugal field principally acting on the ballast and the softening agent remains, under the action of the same field, in the recipient. During the rinsing phase, said recipient is tossed about with the laundry, this dispensing the softening agent that it contains through the plunger tube into the laundry.
European Pat. No. 0 201 376 essentially describes the assembly on a conditioning recipient of a doser-dispenser, preferably spherical, according to French Pat. No. 84/13210 (page 9, lines 24 to 28 of this European Patent Application), French Patent to which European Patent Application No. 0 152 359 mentioned above corresponds. However, the spherical doser-dispenser receives the dose of product only after having been dismounted from the conditioning recipient (page 9, lines 1 to 4 of said European Patent Application No. 0 201 376).
Furthermore, the representation of FIG. 11 induces an error. In fact, the vents are not shown whereas they should be, since, according to the passage on page 7, lines 27 to 33, the dispensing arrangement according to the variant of FIG. 11 takes up the general configuration of the dispensing arrangement of FIG. 10.
It being admitted that the vents do exist near the outer edge of the well, it is obvious that, by turning over the recipient provided with the doser, the doser is completely filled and, by straightening up the recipient, the doser is completely emptied by transvasing its contents into said recipient.
This confirms what is recalled hereinabove, namely that the doser must be dismounted from the recipient in order to be filled by hand.
The drawback of these various known recipients is that it is very difficult to dose the quantity of fluid product poured into the recipient before use. Concomitantly, the operation of transvasing is not easy and is often accompanied by spills on the recipient and/or the bottle or can containing the product, this necessitating wiping the recipient and container after each dosage. Of course, due to the imprecise dosage and to the losses during filling, consumption of the product is excessive.
It is an object of the present invention to overcome this drawback by providing a precise dosage without loss of product in the recipient, whether it is spherical or presents another shape, such dosage being easily and rapidly effected.
As in the prior art, the recipient, preferably spherical, provided to contain a dose of product, is integral with a plunger tube, which presents an opening for filling and dispensing and is provided with a means for connection on a container such as a bottle, can, or the like for the recipient to be disposed outside the container.